Stems of white and magenta camelias
fit perfectly in the mouth of a green
canning jar filled fresh with water.
Glossy leaves catch changing light
throughout the day. Buds relax—
they open over the course of several
days. Once the flush wanes petals drop.
Flowers and friends don’t happen by
accident. Blossom is a noun and a verb
as are bud, flower, bloom and friend.
A life of friends, as each moves on, one
at a time, resembles camelia’s blossom
drop from the stem. Each petal retains
it’s place in the bloom’s configuration.
—
Molly O’Dell loves being outdoors. She received an MFA from University of Nebraska and published a chapbook, Off the Chart, a multi-genre collection, Care is a Four Letter Verb and Unsolicited: 96 Saws and Quips from the Wake of the Pandemic was published for her public health colleagues. She currently serves as the poetry editor for the Journal of Medical Humanities. For more visit www.doctormolly.net
